Hope

Don’t worry, friends and family; I promise, it was not our beloved Hope that sank! Today was the infamous RMS RHONE day!!! But before we go any further into one of my favorite days, we must take a step back into the 1860’ (for reasons you will soon come to realize!)…

Welcome to 1865, everyone, when the “unsinkable” Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Rhone was launched as one of the finest ships of her time! But on the fateful morning of October 29th, 1867, Captain Wooley was not prepared for Hurricane San Narcisco to hit! The captain made the tragic decision to make a break for a more sheltered harbor during the storm, and following the common maritime practices of the time, all of the passengers were tied down in their beds (barbaric, I know!!) To escape the storm, Captain Wooley had sailed to Black Rock Point, and the ship was only about 250 yards away from open water when the Category 3 hurricane smashed the vessel into the rocks (dun dun dunnnn!) Captain Wooley was never to be seen again, and 123 people lost their lives that day.

Today, the Rhone is one of the most popular dive sites in the Caribbean and is regarded as one of the top 10 wrecks in the world! The dive site is split between the bow and stern sections and ranges from 25 to 80 ft deep.

Okay, I think we all have enough of a backstory now to continue on to the present! Welcome back to August 11th, 2026, or as we know it here: Day 14! Our morning started off fairly early as we motored over to the Rhone dive site. We were awoken to the sound of “Sandstorm” (a staple song for Rhone day!), and we ate cereal and got ready for the day all while we were underway! Once we arrived, the dive masters (Ava, Bella, Andre, Isla, Simon, and I) sat out all of the AQ gear and geared up to dive the site we’ve all been waiting for (drumroll please!): the Rhone!!! We DMs went separately with our instructor, Mackenzie, so we could dive the deeper parts of the wreck and swim through the bow penetration (which is more beautiful than I could ever put into words!) The Vegas also split up into 2 groups (Natasha, Hazel, and Luca went with our other dive instructor, Nat) and (L, Anders, and Leggy went with Anzie), and they explored the stern section of the wreck! We also all saw a giant lobster, which was super cool! After ascending, we were all in good spirits and super grateful to have the opportunity to dive this gravesite, and I think we all came up with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the history behind this site!

Once we were back aboard, the Vega students put on dry clothes and hiked up Salt Island! They soaked in the gorgeous views and even saw flamingoes! While that was happening, the junior DMs had another fun dive on the Rhone, and they saw a reef shark! Then we DMs were super stoked to get to complete our own dive briefings and guided dives on the Rhone with open water students! It was a really fun and wholesome experience to get to lead other students around a site we already know and love!

Once the second dives of the day were complete and the Vegas returned from the hike, we sat down and had, arguably, the best lunch on our ActionQuest journey: ramen! It was delicious as always and the perfect meal after a long morning of diving!

Then we all had a bit of downtime, and most of us used it as an opportunity to cram in some last-minute studying for our final tests! The Vegas had a 50-question sailing test. In the end, they made it through and were pretty happy with their results and even happier to have finished all of their exams! The DMs also did a quick cram session and took a little nap while we motored to our home for the night (Great Harbor Peter or GHP). Once we arrived, the junior DMs completed their 20-question test, and we DMs started our 120-question exams! It was long, and some parts were more complicated, but we all made it to the other side and are still awaiting our scores! So stay tuned and definitely wish us luck!

Once that weight was lifted off our shoulders, we rafted with the rest of the AQ fleet, which basically means we tie all of the boats together and create a mega raft! It is always super fun to be together, and it was the perfect way to celebrate the end of our exam day! Then, our chefs, Hazel and Leggy, prepared tortellini, garlic bread, and salad for dinner! Once everyone was finished with our amazing dinner, we started squeeze! For those of you who don’t already know, squeeze is something we do every single night where we all hold hands, take a deep breath, say something we appreciated about the day, and answer a question chosen by the skipper! It’s a really grounding and refreshing activity that is a good reset for everyone and, more often than not, brings the group closer together! My skipper question was “If you were to walk into a room full of everyone you have met in your lifetime, from acquaintances to long-lost friends, who would you look for first and why?”, which I think is such a beautiful question to ponder and reflect on! It really makes you think of all the people in your life that have meant the most to you and the reasons why! Everyone had a great answer too, from old childhood friends to school teachers and mentors to grandparents we didn’t get enough time with, and it was a great discussion!

Then we all did a thorough boat cleanup before jumping in the water for a sunset swim and ocean showers! Everyone was having fun playing catch, jumping off dinghies, and Ava even did a backflip- go, Ava!! Once we were all cozy in our PJs, Siena made brookies, and everyone dispersed to hang out on other boats! A little while later, the DM’s returned to our boat to go over our EFR (Emergency First Responder) skills! We learned how to use an EpiPen, a tourniquet, and proper CPR (which we mastered thanks to the beats of Baby Shark, Pink Pony Club, etc.!) We all had fun during our CPR dance party and learning more about EFR! Then everyone went to mingle for a bit longer before calling it a night!
And that’s a wrap on what we call Rhone Day!
Thanks for tuning in, everyone! Till next time!